1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with coke ovens and, in particular, with cars for charging coke ovens with coal.
2. Reference to Related Application
Reference is made to applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 488,750, filed Apr. 26, 1983.
3. Description of the Prior Art
Coke ovens are conventionally provided with coal by means of coal charging cars which traverse the battery top on tracks. These cars carry a plurality of integral coal containing hoppers, and when the cars are stopped over charging holes in the battery top the contents of these hoppers are released.
Several types of charging cars are known in the art. A common characteristic of the cars heretofore known, however, has been that they are all relatively heavy and cumbersome vehicles that generally rely on a single thick, relatively massive floor-like chassis structure carried on pairs of transversely spaced wheels to support the weight of the car by bending in a vertical direction either between or to the sides of the wheels. Such a car is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,272.
Such cars have certain disadvantages. Because of their weight, these vehicles are sometimes difficult to handle and often require relatively large drive means that use relatively large amounts of energy. It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide, without sacrificing coke carrying capacity, a coke oven charging car which is lighter and less cumbersome than those currently in use.